Axle bearing ?'s

[Red Rooster]

Ok, I need new axle bearings. I have the stock carier. I want to know what everyones opinion is on the best axle bearings. Also where you got them. Thanks.

[toby400ex]

look on ebay, i got front and rear for $30

[ATVer14]

Yea, I would also like to know what the best bearings are. I'm replacing mine this winter and need to know what to buy. I've heard to stay away from e-bay because most of the bearings on there are tiawanese-made, and arn't that good. Just what I've heard though.

[Red Rooster]

Bump

most of the bearings on there are tiawanese-made, and arn't that good. Just what I've heard though.

You heard right, and dont forget the Chinese bearings that are even worse.

Brand wise look for names like NTN, NSK, Nachi, Koyo and most others from Japan. They will cost a little more but you wount be changing them as often due to poor quality steel and quality controll.

Then again with what I have seen when many riders install there own bearings they are trashed before the axle gets installed.

So maybe paying 20-30.00 for the two dollar bearings is better anyway :rolleyes:

[Predator36]

I defense of the bearings from China. Several of the carrier manufacturers ship them with bearingsfrom china and I have seen them last several years. I dont like the cheap bearings and normally install the Federal Moguls but have been shocked by the life of the cheap bearings.

[ATVer14]

Then again with what I have seen when many riders install there own bearings they are trashed before the axle gets installed.

I just wanted to make sure I didn't do this. The way I put my bearings in is to heat whatever the bearings are going in, freeze the bearings themselves, and everything should slide together. Then I use a screwdriver to tap around the edge of the outer race to make sure the bearing is seated. Does this sound like an acceptable method?

[KAWSAM62]

for your info i bought one of those bearing kits off ebay from a place called gorges trailer sales i payed 20.00 i think for 2, after i had bought 2 bearings from rm atv 1-800-336-5437 at 14.50 ea, pn 6908, seal pn 52628, 3.00 ea, the inportant thing is that the pn on my orginal bad bearing was 6908rs koyo was the same manufacture with the same pn on all the bearings i bought from these other 2 places ie oem bearings same as honda put in from the factory whitch had lasted in my 99 4 years before i killed them by having the chain to tight so i wouldnot be afraid of ebay just ask what manuf they are and if the pn is the same then youll have no problem i lost the rec from gorges or id put the info in hope this help good luck.:devil

[ATVer14]

Just because part numbers are the same, doesn't mean the bearings are from the same manufacturers. Pretty much all bearings use the same part numbers to make it easy to find the right ones. So even though a bearing from Joe Schmo Racing with part number 12345 is the same number as your $30 Koyo bearing doesn't mean they came from the same plant.

I just wanted to make sure I didn't do this.

You were doing well till you picked up that screwdriver :)

With a bearing that is mounted inside the id of a housing you need to find a "driver" that fits the OD of the bearing to push it into place. You can use a large socket or piece of pipe etc but just dont put any pressure on the inner ring, and try to PRESS it on rather than tap it in whenever possible (I say this cause its not allways praticle to press) and the reverse is used for a bearing that is mounted to the shaft.


Just because part numbers are the same, doesn't mean the bearings are from the same manufacturers. Pretty much all bearings use the same part numbers to make it easy to find Some truth to that but there are many diff prefixes and suffix numbers or codes used to tell of special internal clearences or other changes from the std number.

There was a bach of bearings that had been imported from Japan by a "broker" a few years back that were bought soley on price. The only thing was that they were sort of special and had diff internal clearences common to the Japanese electric motor designs which use a tighter tolerence than in the US. So these bearings were sold quickly due to their price and the known brand etc, but allmost all failed very quickly because they were much "tighter" than what is generally accepted here. So allthough it was something you could have called a better product it wasnt designed for the use it was installed into and all involved didnt understand the suffix numbers and they failed.

If any of you want to get more info on this stuff PM and I will the places to get the info etc.

I was considering offering the few sizes used in the ex in both the generic cheap ones and the higher quality ones as well. Do you all think you would have an interest? The ones I know I can source priced well are for the front wheel hubs and rear carrier. Maybe could have an exriders carrier bearing and seal special for like 25.00 a set in the cheap ones. It would be a lot more for the better quality ones etc. So let me know what you guys think cause if you are interested I would take a serious look into this.

[ATVer14]

I think that there is a market out there for something like this. Bearings are something that can cause you a real headache when your trying to buy them. You never know what kind of quality the bearings are, if they'll fit right, are they defects being sold cheap on e-bay, stuff like that. So if you could provide verified good-quality bearing kits at a competitive price, I think people would be more inclined to come to you than to give themselves a headache trying to figure out where the bearings they bought came from. One problem though, Ben's probably going to get on your case if you try and sell them here. I would try maybe listing them on e-bay, explain that these are quality bearings, and then list the links to e-bay on here. But there is definatly a market for a product like this now, especially since it's rebuild season!

[KAWSAM62]

the place i got the ebay bearing from was www.georgessales.com paid 20.00 for 2 the pn and manufacturer was the same as the factory honda pn manuf and the same as from rm atv that is it was a genuine koyo bearing not a knock off and im familiar w/ diff types of bearings and a close friend of a mike if the bearing has a certain pn and a certain manuf then it is a exact replacement for oem replacement maybe not the same plant but the built to the same spec by the same company in this case koyo as always YMMV

Well at 29.00 for the kit with Koyo bearings thats not a bad price, there not the absolute best but they are a quality product and I would not have any problems using them myself.

as far as how I would try to sell something like this I seriously dont have any ideas now as I have not really thought about doing this. I am not sure why Ben would have any problems with that since it seems to be happening all the time here, but I dont know for sure either way.

Was just curious to see what some of the other members thought about this and I am not expecting to do this for profit but rather was thinking more on the lines of helping the other members etc.

I have seen the countless different bearing and seal kits on the walls at all the parts stores and get real ticked off that they are most times selling 5-10 dollars worth of chinese crap product for 20-30 dollars.

Well for now I am just thinking out loud.

[Red Rooster]

How is the 'Pivot Works' stuff? Looks like its pretty good but has anyone used it? The rear axle kit for my quad is $49.95. It must be good!

The rear axle kit for my quad is $49.95. It must be good! Dont judge a book by its cover.

The ones I have seen (no I havent seen them all ) were cheap arse repackaged Chinese bearings.

If you guys want stuff like that then you can get the whole set for under 20.00 maybe under 15.00 maybe even less :)

[Stevo]

If your gonna put new axle bearings in u might want to start saving for a new carrier as well. I found out after the 3rd set of axle bearings their life just keeps getting shorter and shorter.

And i had one explode on me and i didn't know and it gauged out and ruined my stock carrier. I have a rad tapered one now and have no problems and it stays nice and tight.

[CHAR250R]

Put the stock bearings from Honda back in it. The top quaulity bearing manufacturer in Japan is Toyo. That's what came stock in it. Roller bearings are not designed to take a side load, as where tapered roller bearings are. The wheel bearings on your car or trailer are tapered rollers. You can always put an aftermarket tapered carrier in. If you're gonna tap on the bearings, use a piece of aluminum or copper tubing. Only tap on the OUTTER ring. Tap, not pound. Clean out the grease it comes with by carefully removing the dust seal. Pack in some quality wheel bearing grease, and reinstall the dust seals. You should be good to go.

freezing is a good idea whenever installing bearings ..
and starting them into the bore ,. as flat & straight as possible
w/a flat peice of aluminum or brass until reaching the surface
also using a softer metal (as mentioned)

to drive them further once they have started & are past the surface use a tube just slightly undersized to the bore & still riding on the outer race to push them to proper location ..